Dr Light ongoing series
by Herald1
Summary: Finally, the long awaited issue 4! The would be usurper of the Yakuza, Takeshi Okamura, makes his final bid for Oyabun... by forcing Dr. Light to save other important people, instead of the current Oyabun! Can she get back in time?
1. Issue One

Dr. Light  
Issue One

"I Am Dr. Light"  
Part One of Two  
by Lamont Mallory

Kimiyo Hoshi created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

"Come on, Mom. we can help you."

Kimiyo Hoshi made a final check of her all-white superhero costume in the mirror and sighed. Here we go again.

She adjusted the tiara on her forehead, then looked at the eager 14-year-old girl standing next to her. Kimiyo loved her, despite her annoying persistence. 'Like mother, like daughter', she thought, smiling slightly.

"We've been over this before, Imako. You don't have any powers or special abilities or any other way to protect yourself." Kimiyo floated off the ground slightly, and hovered out of the room.

Undaunted, Imako walked right beside her, continuing. "I even made costumes for me and Yasu. What's a hero without a sidekick or two? Right, little brother?" The girl peered towards the kitchen out of the corner of her eye.

No response came from inside. Imako's brow furrowed. She was in this fight alone. Alright then...

"This isn't a 'Costume play', Imako. Being a hero is dangerous. Heroes die all the time."

"But heroes come back all the time, too, right? Like Superman!"

Kimiyo glanced sideways at her daughter. "Superman is from the planet Krypton. Are you?"

"Well, no...," Imako admitted, looking away. But she quickly bounced back. "...but heroes from Earth have come back! Like... uh... like your friend Green Lantern!"

"You can't count on that, Imako-chan." She walked over to her daughter, gently caressing her cheeks, then firmly placing her gloved hands on the young girl's shoulders. "Look, I admire your enthusiaism, but it's far too dangerous for you to become a hero."

"But..." the girl pleaded desperately.

"NO." Her mother angrily stared deep into Imako's eyes, her voice direct, forceful and resolute. Imako broke the stare, her gaze withering to the floor in defeat. That was the end of that.

Kimiyo released Imako and turned to go. "I'll be back after this is finished," she promised. Then she called into the kitchen, "I'm leaving, Yasu-chan!"

"Bye!" a voice from the kitchen responded.

Imako scowled a bit in the voice's direction. NOW he says something.

Kimiyo opened the front door of the house, then stopped halfway through the doorway. She looked back at her dejected daughter, and her aggravation melted. She couldn't leave without saying something.

"Imako?"

The girl jerked her head up hopefully, towards her mother. "Yes?"

Kimiyo's words came out in a heartfelt, almost haunting whisper.

"I'm sorry. I love you."

She floated the rest of the way out the door and closed it behind her.

Imako sighed. Nice words, but not the ones she was looking for. "I know, Mom," she said, half to herself. "I know."

A 7-year old boy peered out from the kitchen, his mouth half-full. "See?" he murmured between chews. "I told you Mom wouldn't go for it."

Imako spun around to glare at him. "Well, it's better than not trying to convince her at all. Glad I can count on you for backup, by the way. I thought we were in this together!"

Yasu swallowed the food, then frowned. "What? No, I wasn't! But you decided to drag me into it, anyway, like you always do. I didn't help because it was a stupid idea from a stupid person."

"HEY!" she snapped at him, stamping her foot angrily. "How many times do I have to tell you... I am NOT stupid!"

The boy stuck out his tongue and laughed. "Coulda fooled me!"

"Oh, that is IT!" she shouted, racing toward him with clenched fists. Yasu ran off, laughing.

* * *

"This is the place, guys."

The leader, Hiragane, opened the door of the factory, toting a ring full of keys and a large suitcase. Several men followed him inside. Hiragane pointed at two of his crew. "You stay outside. Just in case."

The men strolled past several machines designed to create and package choclate drops. One of them sneezed from the dust. "Man!" he exclaimed, rubbing his nose. "How long has this place been shut down, anyway?"

"Shut up," hissed Hiragane.

Then they came to a second door. Hiragane singled out the necessary key, and unlocked this door as well. After entering, he set the suitcase down on a lone table. Plucking another key, this one smaller than the others, from his right pocket, he carefully unclasped the locks and opened the lid. He then inspected the contents: several packets of white powder - heroin.

One of his men, a bleached blonde sporting headphones and a Walkman, strolled up. He removed the headphones and asked, "So-- what are we doin' here again?"

Hiragane looked up, shooting an annoyed glance at the distracting music, then at the blonde. "What-- weren't you listening like everyone else?" The man shook his head. Hiragane rolled his eyes, then returned to his work. "The boss say we're gonna start this place up again like the old days. Drugs, gun running, the works."

Just then another man called, "Yo, Hiragane! What the #$ is this!"

"What!" he yelled, twirling around in frustration. "NOW what's--"

At that point, Hiragane caught a glimmer from behind the closed door, growing brighter and brighter. Suddenly, a hole began to melt in the door itself, unleashing a light that flooded the room, outshining the overhead lights. As the hole reached the floor, the light subsided. The two guards fell through and on the floor, unconscious. Then a feminine figure stepped into the room behind them.

"Hello, boys," Dr. Light greeted them, crossing her arms. "You aren't doing anything illegal, are you?"

Hiragane raised an eyebrow, then pointed to the tallest man in the room. "Yoshimura, take care of this." The selected man stepped forward, then broke into a run towards the woman...and right into an unexpected hard-light wall. He collapsed to the floor. "Anyone else want to try something?" the heroine asked with a smirk.

Hiragane's mind raced. 'Man, if they hadn't gotten rid of our guns, we'd have this problem in the bag by now!' Then, He reached for a nearby wall switch. "Yeah, well, you use light, right?" he mused, "So this oughtta shut you down!" One flick of the switch, and every inch of the room went dark.

But instead of the expected sounds of retreat, the room echoed with soft, mocking laughter. Laughter that ended in a pitying sigh.

"You boys don't know anything about light, do you?"

Hiragane was somewhat less amused. "She's bluffing! Get her!"

The floor squeaked with the sneakers of men rushing to where Dr. Light last stood.

The heroine's response was calm and authoritative. "Very well, then. I'll teach you."

A dramatic flood of light burst forth from the men's destination, temporarily blinding them and halting their attack. The voice continued: "First of all, what the typical person thinks of as light is merely the small band of wavelengths that one can see. In truth, light is electromagnetism, encompassing all wavelengths from radio waves to gamma rays."

As the crew's eyesight cleared, they could see the figure of Dr. Light, glowing a bright white that almost completely obscured most of her body and facial features. The black outline of the star symbol on her chest remained, as did her glaring eyes. Her hair and cape flared behind her, giving her the image of an avenging angel.

"So I gather power from several sources, not just visible light. For example..."

She directed her hand towards the source of the still-playing music.

"You're listening to the radio, aren't you? I derived this...", she said as she blasted one man in the stomach, "from not only the signals from that station, but every radio and TV station in the city, and every satellite signal beamed from space."

"Everything touched by sunlight absorbs at least some of the solar radiation. And the sky always contains traces of all types of EM radiation."

"Also, electromagnetism, by definition, also includes electricity..." A surge of power sprang from several electrical outlets, striking 5 men until they collapsed. "...and magnetism." She raised a hand toward the radio directed it into the forehead of a hulking figure, sending both man and machine to the ground.

"The entire Earth is electromagnetic. So is the Moon, the Sun, and all the other stars that appear in the sky." Here, she attracted three attackers to the ground... head first.

But the bleached blonde slowly and stealthily tiptoed his way behind her.

"Not only do I use light..." The assailant took a swing at the glowing figure, only to see his hand go right through. "... I turn into light, as this promising student just found out." Startled by this revelation, he almost didn't realize that his hand was starting to burn. Yelping, he instinctively pulled the hand away, only to be blasted into the wall.

"Anything that's made up of electrons can release photons of light. That includes almost every bit of matter in the universe... including yourselves, ironically enough..." And she drained a bit of light energy from the last man left, then swatted him down with it.

Realizing that there was no way to salvage the situation, Hiragane spun on his heels and made a dash for the door.

"And speaking of you..." Dr. Light raised her right arm and gestured in the direction of the fleeing figure, and the boy immediately flew backwards through the air. He landed roughly on his back, and skidded along the floor. Slowing down little by little, his body settled gently to a stop, his head at the heroine's feet. He stared upward at the bright figure towering over him. Involuntarily gulping, Hiragane tried to fight off his rising panic... with little success.

Dr. Light continued: "The human body is itself electromagnetic." The heroine gestured at him again. "Sit up straight," Dr. Light commanded, and Hiragane found his upper body yanked into position. "This energy also allows me to sense you in the dark. Not only do you seem to glow like paper lanterns, you attract my indirect attention as a power source. Think of it as a sixth sense. So, all in all, the only side you incapacitated when you turned off the lights..." Here, she placed a finger directly on the man's head: "...was yours.

"Now, which Yakuza clan are you working for?"

Hiragane spat out, "I- I can't! They'd kill me!"

Dr. Light's eyes narrowed angrily. "Then we'll continue. As I said, the human body is powered by electricity. And I can generate electricity." An electrical charge surged through her finger and into his head. Every inch of his body went into convulsions of pain, convulsions held tightly in check by his own body's unyielding electromagnetic field. His screams echoed though the room.

"That", Dr. Light added, her voice growing more insistent, "was the neurons in the pain center of your brain, all firing at once. So, do you have something to tell me NOW?"

Hiragane was a quivering, quavering wreck. "Okay! Okay! We're working for the Okamura clan!"

"Very good. Now..." She moved her finger to another part of the man's head. "This is the part of your brain that controls sleep. Good night." One bolt of electricity, and Hiragane fell to the ground.

Dr. Light took a final survey of the room, her "pupils" strewn around the floor, unconscious.

Satisfied, she folded her arms and grinned smugly.

"Class dismissed."

* * *

Her "charges" in tow in a glimmering net and the suitcase in her left hand, Dr. Light soared towards the Tokyo police station. Since she couldn't travel at light speed while carrying them, she had turned back into human form and took a moment to admire her view of the city. Then, gesturing with her hand, she sent out a radio call.

"Captain? I have a 'special delivery' for you. As we suspected, it looks like the Yakuza are starting up activities again. I picked up this crew at the Candy Works front.

"I'll arrive in about 15 seconds. Dr. Light, out."

At that, she cut off the signal. Then she scanned the area outside the station using her telescopic vision, she could see that a crowd of reporters and camera crews had congregated nearby.

Word had spread fast. She nodded with satisfaction.

Reaching the station, Dr. Light hovered overhead, and lowered the unconscious criminals and the case to the waiting officers. The news crews surged towards the scene, to be stopped short by the police. Dr. Light could feel the whirring cameras on her, but made a point not to directly address them yet. Still, she couldn't hide a slowly growing grin as the media beckoned.

"Any comments about this recent capture?"

"How closely have you coordinated this with the police?"

"Any reason why the Yakuza are resurfacing now?"

After dissolving the net, she slowly hovered into the midst of the parting crowd and descended, gracefully landing on the ball of her right foot before fully setting down. "Please," she began, beaming, "one at a time." She gestured at an eager female reporter. "Yes?"

"Kayo Yamaguchi, GNN. You must have heard of the recent reports from America on the villain who bears your name, the horrific attacks on heroes like Green Arrow and the Teen Titans. He even seems to be smarter and nastier than he has been in years. What do you plan to do about this resurgence of the other Dr. Light?" She held out her microphone expectantly.

The heroine's face reddened at this unexpected intrusion. Her eyes narrowed and her smile faded. "No comment," she growled, trying to retain her composure. She glanced out into the crowd. "Does anyone have any questions regarding the Yakuza capture?"

But the reporter persisted. "Surely you have to have some kind of response. The villainous Dr. Light has mentioned that he's carrying out a vendetta against those who have defeated him in the past. That has to include you. What if he comes back to Tokyo to attack you again?"

At that, the chorus roared to life again.

"How will you respond to this?"

"Do you have any contingency plans?"

"Will you be changing your name?"

Dr. Light's body quickly turned bright, temporarily overwhelming the late-afternoon Sun as well as the reporters and camera crews surrounding her. Some turned away, dazed; others instinctively backed off and shielded their eyes.

"ENOUGH!" the still-glowing, furious figure yelled. "If you don't have a RELEVANT question..." She extended a hand, causing the electrical power from every camera and microphone in the area to congregate in her palm. "...this interview is OVER!"

With that, she immediately blasted off into the distance at light speed.

There was a moment of shocked silence. Then everyone regained their senses.

"Wha-- What the heck was THAT all about!"

"Hey! Our camera's dead!"

"She's got some nerve!"

Kayo tried to shake off the remaining spots before her eyes, then glared at the quickly-fading extra star in the sky. "Sorry, Doctor," she said. "I won't let you get off that easily."

* * *

Dr. Light soared above the city, headed for home with her mood completely ruined.

I don't get it, she fumed. Yakuza activity had been declining until recently. The news programs themselves were running stories about shady loan companies and the like being shut down. Now, here's this recent resurge in activity. Wasn't this more newsworthy than the villain Dr. Light? Why did that Yamaguchi woman have to derail the whole thing?

Just then, she saw a strange shimmering about 200 meters ahead of her. Having the negligible mass of light, Dr. Light immediately stopped in place and began to brighten, physically and mentally preparing for a battle.

The shimmering took the form of a tall, shapely woman. As the image cleared, Dr. Light recognized a good friend and ally.

"Wonder Woman!", she called, reverting to human form and extending a friendly hand.

"Doctor Light," the Amazon answered, meeting her hand and shaking it.

But Dr. Light suddenly remembered; the Justice League only contacts reserve members like her when a potential threat has gotten well out of hand. She tensed a bit. "Is there some emergency?"

"There's no emergency, Doctor," Diana assured. "But I would like a word with you. Shall we land and talk?"

Dr. Light nodded, and the two descended into a nearby park.

Wonder Woman spoke carefully and deliberately, "As you may know, the villainous Dr. Light has re-emerged as a effective, serious threat to the world."

HIM again. Dr. Light's expression darkened.

Diana continued, "Also, previous League members have recently revealed that he raped our friend Sue Dibny prior to them rendering him ineffectual. In light of all this, the League feels that we need to disassociate ourselves from him.

"Therefore, we'd like to officially request that you change your name."

Dr. Light tried her best to temper the surging fury within, but the narrowed eyes, deep grimace, and rapidly rising voice told the whole story. "I see. Well, to be blunt, Diana..." She took a threatening step forward. "...MY name is none of the League's buisness!"

Wonder Woman was taken aback by the perceived offense. "We're simply asking you to think of what's best, for yourself as well as everyone else. You are a valued member of the League, after all. You always have been, and you always will be." She extended a friendly hand. "Wouldn't you agree?"

But Dr. Light's hand moved to the array of panels below the collar of her costume instead. "You want to play THAT card, Diana? FINE." Opening the center panel, she produced a small card with the JLA logo on it. She flung the item to the ground at Diana's feet. "Here's MY card. GO FISH."

Wasting no time, she converted into a dazzling flash of light and sped away. Wonder Woman's entreaties to come back were too far away and too slow to hear.

'I can't believe this!' Dr. Light huffed in her mind. '"Will you be changing your name?" "We'd like to officially request that you change your name,"' she mentally quoted the offenders, scowling. 'What do they think I should change it to, anyway? PHOTON?'

Just then she heard an explosion in the distance. A large building in downtown Shibuya was collapsing before her eyes. And before she knew it, she was breathing a sigh of relief.

'I can't believe you, either,' she berated herself. 'People are in danger, and here you are, grateful for the diversion from your own petty problems.'

She sped towards the destruction.

* * *

The scene was a disorienting chaos. Vast clouds of dust filled the air. Debris still rained down on the streets. Some people retreated in every direction; others could only stand still and gawk. Police were trying to handle the situation; directing traffic away, setting up a perimeter to hold people back. And with the Sun having set, the lost electrical service in the area and malfunctioning street lights were becoming an issue.

Still, Dr. Light needed to shut all this out, and concentrate on the problem. She landed just outside the clouded area, and attempted to scan it with infrared vision... but the light wasn't coming back to her eyes. She then tried x-ray vision; again, no return at all.

But then she could finally make out a bubble of light in the distance, and a figure inside it. The person was slowly making his way through the rubble.

"Who are you?" she called into the dust.

"You're here,"a male voice intoned in English. "Good. I was wondering how many buildings I'd have to level to make you show up. And please, speak in English. You know I don't understand Japanese."

Dr. Light lifted an eyebrow quizzically. "Who are you?" she repeated in English.

"Hmmm. Have you truly forgotten me? Well, considering that your fellow 'heroes' made me into a fool, I suppose you never knew the real me in the first place," the voice responded. "Very well, then. Allow me to reintroduce myself," he continued, walking towards Dr. Light through the dust created by the explosion.

The figure emerged, glowing. Everything from the black and white costume that mirrored hers to the fin on his head was now all too familiar.

"...My name is Arthur Light, and I am Doctor Light."

To be continued...


	2. Issue Two

A foreword (May 8, 2005):

A few Mother's Days ago, my pastor said that if you took all the things a mother does for you for free in one lifetime, and paid someone to do it, the tab would run into the hundred-millions. (I think childbirth by itself would cost quite a bit. ;) )

Among other things, the story below showcases the power of a mother's love for her children, and the power of those children's love for their mother in return. Therefore, I can't think of a better day to release it.

Happy Mother's Day to Kimiyo Hoshi and all the other mothers in the world, real or fictional! Here is your 21-gun salute!

Dr. Light  
Issue Two

"I Am Dr. Light"  
Part Two of Two  
by Lamont Mallory

Kimiyo Hoshi created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

"I feel so much better now!"

Imako emerged from the kitchen, stretching contentedly. "Think I'll watch some TV," she said, rounding the sofa and taking the remote from the table.

Yasu followed slowly behind. He was rubbing both cheeks of his deeply reddened face, burning despite the tears running down them. "You bully! You didn't have to hit me so hard!"

"Yeah, well, I'm your older sister. You're supposed to show me respect!" Imako asserted, sinking into the sofa and turning on the high-definition TV.

Yasu folded his arms and muttered, "Maybe when you DESERVE it..."

The face of news anchorwoman Yuko Yagi appeared on the screen. "-- GNN News. We've just received a report on an explosion in the Shibuya shopping district. We now go live to the scene."

Reporter Kayo Yamaguchi appeared, her name showing at the bottom of the screen. "The usual bustling crowds in Shibuya were disrupted today as a sudden explosion destroyed the building. As you can see behind me, there is a massive cloud of dust dispersing from where the building once stood, and police are doing their best to redirect people and traffic away from the affected area.

"Wait a minute..." She pointed toward a quickly-growing point of light in the night sky, which the camera zoomed in on. "I think we've spotted... Yes, it is! Dr. Light is now approaching the cloud!"

Imako sat up. Yasu ran to the side of the sofa. And they both spoke in unison: "Mom..."

As the camera followed the heroine, Yamaguchi continued: "As you may know, she was supposed to be holding a press interview earlier about the recent Yakuza movements, but she... became discontented with the line of questioning and abruptly called it off, taking our camera's power with her when she left.

"We've also heard eyewitness reports that she met with Wonder Woman in Shiba Park earlier. And during their discussion, Dr. Light grew hostile and threw down a card believed to be her Justice League membership card."

"In any case, she has just landed and... I think she's firing some sort of invisible beam into the cloud... possibly to scan it... And now she's trying another..."

Yamaguchi was silent for a few moments. Then...

"Wait a minute... I think I see a sphere of light coming from inside the cloud... And somebody's inside it..." The camera zoomed in on the glowing circle.

"It's... It's... I can't believe this... It's the other Dr. Light!"

Both children were stunned for a few seconds. Then Imako clapped her hands together excitedly, "This is our chance!"

"Huh?"

"Our chance to help Mom!" she elaborated, running upstairs to her room and throwing open her closet.

Yasu grimaced. His sister had that telltale glimmer in her eyes and eagerness in her voice. And he was getting an all-too-familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew Mom would really want them to stay safe at home. But where could he hide from Imako this time?

Imako's loud, eager voice reverberated through the house. "We'll go to Shibuya, help Mom beat down that other Doctor guy, and then she'll HAVE to use us as her sidekicks!" She then raced down the stairs again, holding a crumpled costume.

"Here," she continued, heaving the red and white bodysuit and the pair of forearm-length white gloves in Yasu's general direction. "Boots are near the front door! Put these on! Hurry!"

Then she scurried back up to her room.

The boy sighed, picked up the scattered clothing, and dragged himself up to his room.

After 20 seconds, Imako emerged in a violet and white costume similar to her mother and brother, but with very short sleeves and legs, and a smaller star symbol on the left side of her chest. She tugged on her small, feminine gloves to make sure they were taut, then pounded on her brother's door.

"C'mon out already!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

Unwilling to wait any longer, she turned the knob and pushed the door inward. Yasu was sitting on the side of his bed, pulling the last sleeve of his matching red and white costume, the star symbol on the right side of his chest.

"Hey!" he protested the intrusion.

"We HAVE to hurry!" She grabbed one of the gloves laying beside him and immediately shoved his hand into it.

"OW! You didn't have to do that so hard! And how are we going to get all the way to Shibuya, anyway?"

The girl paused to think for a moment. "Hey! I know! We can use Mom's tele-whatsis!" Without hesitating a moment, she scurried downstairs, through the hall, and then down another flight of stairs, into her mother's home laboratory.

"You mean 'telePORTER'... moron..." Yasu muttered to himself, gently putting on the other glove and walking down the stairs.

Running back up from the lab, Imako held a palm-sized device that vaguely resembled a cell phone. As she walked to the front door, she studied the teleporter, all the buttons labeled with numbers and various symbols. Yasu was already there, putting on his long boots.

The girl furrowed her brow in frustration. "Oh, well," she said with a shrug, "I'll just push buttons and see what happens..." She raised a finger towards the panel...

"Gimme that!" Yasu jumped in, snatching the device away. "If you 'just push buttons', you'll dump us in the middle the ocean or something, idiot!"

"Oh, really?" Imako said, grabbing her own boots and putting them on. "And you think YOU can do better?"

"Better than YOU? Sure!" replied Yasu with a smirk. "See, it's based on longitude and latitude," he explained matter-of-factly, pointing at the lines on the screen. Then he began to press a precise series of buttons. "You input the coordinates based on where you are... make a graph of where you want to go... then..."

"As if you know anything about longitude and latitude..." the girl retorted, peering over his shoulder and ruefully raising an eyebrow.

"Watch and see," he assured her. A flash of energy emerged from the teleporter, enveloping the two children. The light intensified, and then disappeared, taking Imako and Yasu with it.

* * *

The two Drs. Light faced each other, studying one another closely for even a hint of a sudden move.

"Your allies are laughing at you, you know," Arthur began. "I'm sure of it, because mine always laughed at me.

"Dr. Light, the coward... Dr. Light, the idiot..."

Kimiyo interjected, "I think they're STILL right about you."

"Amusing. But my reputation will change, starting now. YOUR misuse of my name is the only remaining wall barring me from reclaiming my true status as a heavyweight. I've had my revenge on the Titans, and through them, the Justice League.

"This time... it's YOUR turn."

Kimiyo smirked at that pronouncement. "To be honest, I'm almost glad you showed up. All I've been hearing about from people today is what YOU'VE been up to, and what they believed I should do in response to it. Now, I get to show them what I intend to do instead of just telling them to where to stick their opinions.

"Now, I get to take all my anger and frustration out on YOU."

Arthur looked around at the tightly enclosed area that the buildings created. He started to float straight up. "Shall we take this someplace a little less confining?"

"So I can send you screaming all the way to the ground? That's fine with me!" she retorted, rising straight up as well.

The Doctors Light made their way well above the skyline of the Shibuya area.

"Now, then," Arthur grinned, readying himself. "No mercy!"

Each of the two charged up a monstrous blast of energy... then fired.

The resulting confluence lit the night as bright as day for a moment.

Coming out of that, the Drs. Light launched into a barrage of constantly-shifting electromagnetic attacks.

If Arthur attempted to use lasers, Kimiyo would cancel him out with lasers.

When Kimiyo tried to bombard him with high-level gamma rays, Arthur answered with his own gamma rays.

Each of them would absorb or repel the other's attack, then alter it and fire back.

Their mid-air clash disrupted the night sky with shades of color and flashes of white.

Blues!

Yellows!

Greens!

Reds!

Purples!

It was a fireworks display with potentially serious consequences. The small crowd still daring to observe the battle gasped in awe at the dazzling aurora.

Then, the two combatants ceased their attacks and eyed one another warily. Arthur began to return to the ground; Kimiyo matched his descent.

Kimiyo took this moment to mentally marshal her observations. 'We're equally matched... We're using the same sources of power... This battle could go on forever!'.

Arthur had clearly come to the same conclusion. "You are a tough one, I'll give you that," he commented as they landed. He motioned at the far-away crowd. "But all good heroes have ONE common weakness." He fired a blast at the buildings directly above them.

The lucky ones scrambled away, screaming, and climbing over one another to escape. Others found themselves buried under the heavy rubble. The police scrambled to help were hard pressed to move the larger pieces pinning some people. Yamaguchi and her cameraman held their ground as best they could, the camera still taking in the scene through the new cloud of dust and debris.

Fight or rescue? For Kimiyo, there was no choice; those people needed her NOW. She quickly converted to light...

...and Arthur's eyes widened with interest.

As she flew towards the ailing people, she felt an insistent backward pull on her body. She peered behind herself and saw Arthur, trying to drag her to him! She struggled to escape his pull, but found herself being inexorably drawn back towards the villain.

Arthur grinned broadly, his fingers eagerly twitching. "Come to me, honey!"

As Kimiyo's glowing form approached Arthur at high speed, she looked behind herself again.

And she was... smiling!

At the last second, she shifted to human form, and her feet slammed heavily into the villain's stomach. Immediately after impact, she turned back to light and stopped herself. The heroine watched in total delight as Arthur flew down the street, painfully collided with a pole, and tumbled to the ground on his stomach.

"GO to HELL, 'darling'!" she called, speeding off to help the victims.

Arthur lay still on the ground for a few moments. Then, he pulled himself to his hands and knees, trying to regain his bearings. His eyes temporarily unfocused from the run-in with the pole, he could only make out the vague, bright shape of his opponent, assisting fellow citizens. As he slowly but surely pushed himself to his feet, he corrected his eyesight with his powers.

The last bit of heavy rubble lifted, Kimiyo released another grateful woman and gently but urgently ushered her to the waiting police and their vehicles. As she went for more people, she heard an angry voice from afar.

"Recess is over!" he bellowed, charging for another attack.

"Finish rescuing everybody and get them out of here!" she instructed the police. "I'll hold him off!"

While staving off Arthur's attacks with her left hand, Kimiyo began launching the rubble at him with her right hand. He was forced to divert some of his own energy to shooting some rocks while dodging others. She began approaching him, slowly but surely, intent on boxing him in and putting an end to this battle.

* * *

Some distance away from the scene, a flash of light appeared, bearing two young figures.

"See? I told you I knew what I was doing!" Yasu grinned smugly at his sister.

Imako's eyes narrowed. "So you got lucky..." she spat out dismissively. Then she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she found the two Drs. Light still locked in battle. "Anyway, 'genius', we still have to help Mom."

Yasu also took in the fight. "But she looks like she's holding her own. I still don't think we should try to help her at all!"

Imako glared down at her brother, making sure to tower over him for maximum overbearing effect. "We're HERE, and we're GOING to help." She raised her open palm menacingly. "Am I making myself CLEAR?"

Yasu rubbed his face again, even though it no longer stung. "...yeah..." he yielded, breaking away from her harsh eyes.

She grabbed his arm harshly and dragged him forward. "So COME ON!"

He dug in his heels as best he could. "Are you crazy! If we just go up to him, we'll be killed!"

"I'll... I'll come up with something when we get there!"

"You ARE crazy!"

Imako stopped and glared at him again. "Look, you little coward, unless you've got a better idea..."

"I do! I do!" Yasu piped up, grateful for a chance to think. "Ummm... just give me a minute..."

Imako grumbled impatiently...

* * *

Yasu steadied the garbage can that the two children had overturned. He looked out of the small alley and counted off the seconds.

Swiftly running all the way down to the next street and around the battlefield to the other side, Imako made her way towards the villain as close as she dared. In her hand, she grasped a metal pole.

After counting off 5 minutes, Yasu rolled the can into position, then started rolling it towards the villain. Letting it go, he ran up to it for one final kick.

Kimiyo, seeing her son so dangerously close to her target, gasped and halted her barrage of debris.

Arthur took a fleeting glance at the can rolling and tumbling quickly towards him. 'You must be joking," he thought, shaking his head slightly in amusement. He parceled out a small burst of energy to take care of the problem.

But Imako had already sprang from her hiding place and sprinted towards the villain, wielding the pipe like a bat.

Hearing the steps approaching, Arthur turned his head...

...just in time to meet the metal.

The villain staggered back, stunned by the blow...

...long enough for the can to knock him over.

"YATTA!" the two children cried out in victory, holding their fists up in celebration.

Then Imako saw the pipe in her palm suddenly begin to melt. Instinctively, she dropped the gooey mess.

"You DO realize you'll have to PAY for that?"

Imako watched in horror as Arthur jumped to his feet. The girl backed away quickly, then turned to run. Yasu bolted for the alley.

The villain spread his arms in both directions, preparing to strike both children down at once...

"NOOOOO!" Kimiyo cried out, quickly sending a huge volley of energy his way to distract him.

Arthur observed the approaching attack.

And he was... smiling!

The villain took the bolt of light and neatly split it in two, diverting one half to the boy and one half to the girl. The two screamed as the energy overtook them.

Arthur smiled broadly, his teeth glistening in the leftover light. "From the costume design, I'd guess those were your children. How appropriate, then, that it was their own mother's power that hurt them!

"If you want, I'll gladly finish them off for you!"

Kimiyo Hoshi saw her two children, her babies, on the ground, bruised and unconscious.

And then she saw the man who had hurt them, his mocking laughter ringing in her ears.

And then...

SHE...

**_SAW_**...

**_RED_**...

"How DARE you!" she yelled, flying into her adversary at high speed and tackling him to the ground. "How DARE you hurt innocent children!"

She raised her left hand to begin summoning energy into her body. "**_MY _**CHILDREN!"

He moved his hand to shove her off, but she savagely raked him across his face with her right hand, drawing blood. Surprised by this physical attack, he was unprepared for a frenzy of equally brutal scratches, another and another and another.

Yamaguchi gasped in shock, as the camera continued to roll. "Has she gone insane?"

At the same time, every street light that at that point still managed to remain on released its energy until it burned out. And every light in every building fixture gave up its energy until it burned out. And every electrical device and outlet until the fuses gave out. And every battery from every vehicle left in the area.

And Yamaguchi and her cameraman watched helplessly as the power from their camera and microphone leaped free once more. "No! NO! Not again!" she cried.

It would have gone dark for hundreds of kilometers in all directions... if the Earth beneath the two Doctors wasn't itself glowing with the energy being extracted from it. All of this energy was flowing into an intensely shining Kimiyo.

Then, she grabbed her adversary roughly by the collar and began pumping enormous amounts of energy into him.

"You can't be serious," Arthur scoffed at her efforts, his body absorbing the energy. "I can take as much power as you can throw at me!"

He grabbed her arm and tugged on it. "So I suggest you let me go!"

But she held on with all her willpower, all her hatred for Arthur... and all her love for her children. "I once absorbed the power of an entire STAR!" Kimiyo roared. "So... how much can YOU take!"

Arthur, now growing worried as he felt his absorption ability being pushed to the limit, tried more desperately to tear off her grasp. "Let... ahhh... GO of me!"

"I SAID... HOW MUCH CAN YOU **_TAKE_**!" she shouted, exponentially increasing the amount of power feeding into him. The unbelievable power began to overwhelm Arthur's body, and he began to scream.

**_"SHUT UP!" _**Kimiyo commanded, punching him repeatedly in the jaw with her free hand. **_"SHUT UP!" _**

Arthur weakly continued to shake and pull at the hand holding him. But Kimiyo's grip held completely firm. And she continued to send massive amounts of power in. And then she began screaming at him in Japanese...

"ONORE! BAKEMONO! MOGAITE MO SHIYOU GA NAI! NIGENAI YO!" (YOU B! YOU MONSTER! IT'S NO USE STRUGGLING! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!)

"ATASHI, SEIBAI O SHITE KURERU YO!" (I WILL PUT YOU DOWN!)

Arthur was in complete shock, no longer able to move. He had a crazed woman with an iron grip screeching at him in a foreign language and force-feeding his body every ounce of power she could. Unable to physically or mentally cope anymore, Arthur faded into unconsciousness.

**"OKIRO! WAKE UP! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" **she demanded, standing up to kick him in the head, then smacking his head violently, again and again and again and again. **"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" **She repeated directly in his ear, even more shrilly, "**_WAKE UP!_**"

No response.

Using her power, the heroine propped the villain against the shattered remains of a wall with her right hand. Then she raised her left hand and began to summon even more energy from the Earth and the atoms from the surrounding area into her palm.

"Your madness... ends now," she coldly determined, her voice shaking and whispering as much from her still-burning rage as from all her screaming. "You won't hurt another child... or rape another woman... or harm anyone ever again!

She summoned her voice to rise again as she prepared to strike, repeating her enemy's own words through grit teeth:

"**_'NO MERCY'!_**"

Then a small, slightly weak voice chimed in on her right side. "Mom! What are you doing?"

Kimiyo hesitated from attacking... but she didn't look at him or respond, her fury trying to maintain control.

"Are you going to kill him?" Yasu continued, shielding his eyes with his left hand and shaking his mother's leg to get her attention. "But you're a doctor, right?" the boy reminded her. "You always told me doctors aren't supposed to kill!"

And then a somewhat weary Imako appeared on her left side. "Look," the girl began quickly, "we're okay, right? We're okay, so you don't have to kill him, right, Mom?"

She grabbed and pulled anxiously at the base of Kimiyo's raised arm, squeezing her eyes tightly shut against the blinding mass of energy at the arm's peak. "DON'T do this! You're NOT a murderer! You know if you do this, you won't be able to forgive yourself! You'll hate yourself! You know that, right?"

Kimiyo still refused to respond. But her teeth began to loosen. And her narrowed, enraged eyes began to soften and well up. And her red world began to fade to normal. And she didn't fire, either.

"Mom! Wake up! Please!" Yasu called, shaking his mother's leg more insistently.

"Mom!" Imako repeated, yanking her mother's arm harder.

Kimiyo's tears burst their banks. She let the energy in her hand dissipate. She released the unconscious villain. And she fell to one knee and swept both her children up in one big emotional embrace.

"I was afraid... I would lose you," she managed between sobs. "I was so afraid..."

Imako lowered herself to one knee as well, and breathed a sigh of relief. "We're okay, Mom," she confirmed again, closing her own arms around her mother. "We're okay!"

"Right!" agreed Yasu happily, adding his own hug.

The three held each other for what seemed like a long time. The stars, without the strong city lights to repel them, shone down on the Hoshi family. Kimiyo reveled in her children's love.

But then she remembered all that had just happened. And her expression dampened to regret.

All this destruction. Lives and livelihoods ruined. Imako and Yasu almost killed.

'All this... for a name?' she thought. 'Maybe... maybe I should just change my name...' But, given both this defeat and the last one, would even a name change dissuade this man from coming back?

Then they heard a faint sound.

A clap.

And then another, louder.

And then a louder one, quicker, until the clapping grew into a one-person ovation.

And they saw a figure begin to appear, a short distance in front of them.

A glowing, ghostly figure.

With chains around him.

And the same costume as Arthur, right down to the fin.

Kimiyo's eyes narrowed. She hadn't killed the man, so how did he become a ghost? Quickly releasing Imako and Yasu, she jumped to her feet. The two children instinctively backed behind their mother, without a word.

'It doesn't matter how he's doing this,' the heroine told herself. 'Apparently, this fight isn't over yet.' She began to draw in power...

"Wait!" the ghost called out in English. "If you power up, I'll disappear! I just want to talk to you!"

Kimiyo stopped the power flow, but she didn't let go of what she had already taken in. "Who are you?" she demanded to know.

The ghost approached slowly, and offered a friendly hand.

"My name is Jacob Finlay, and I am Doctor Light."

Kimiyo frowned, unwilling to shake his hand. "Oh, really? ANOTHER Dr. Light? How do I know you are who you say you are?"

Jacob pulled back his hand, disappointed. "I was hoping you'd just trust me," he responded glumly.

"Mom," Yasu whispered, "who is he? And what's he saying?"

"I'll tell you later," Kimiyo answered, her eyes not leaving the glowing figure for even an instant.

Imako smiled and whispered to the boy, "Good thing I'M old enough to take English class."

Yasu smirked and responded, "Good thing I'M not BARELY PASSING English class."

Imako grumbled. "Why, you little brat..."

"QUIET!" hissed their mother.

"I've learned about you through Arthur," Jacob began, smiling. "You've helped save the universe. You joined the Justice League. You LED a Justice League team! Everything I wanted to do as Dr. Light and more, you've accomplished!"

Kimiyo grinned in self-satisfaction. "Well, you don't have to emphasize the Justice League part," she interjected a little ruefully.

Jacob continued, "But most importantly, you've been a hero. I didn't create the Dr. Light name and costume for a villain like Arthur to use. It's supposed to be a hero's legacy." He turned to Kimiyo. "And I'm glad the legacy found a living hero worthy of the name."

He paced around Arthur's motionless body, looking daggers at the man. "But you should have killed him and been done with it. I managed it once, and after he got out of Hell, I've been trying to do it again for years."

"NO," Kimiyo suddenly asserted, startling Jacob into stopping. "Among other things, I am a medical doctor. I have a responsibility not to kill. I simply lost myself for a moment, and I'm extremely glad these two managed to talk me down from it." She proudly put a hand on each of her children's shoulders.

Then she glared at the ghost, eyebrows intensely furrowed. "I do NOT condone murder, Mr. Finlay, not of anyone, not by anyone."

"Are you kidding! He raped that woman, he tried to kill your kids just now... he had a hand in killing ME! Not to mention all the times he's attacked members of the Justice League or the Titans! He DESERVES to die!"

She repeated herself, with emphasis: "Not of ANYone. Not by ANYone. EVER."

The two Drs. Light stared at each other, with nary a word for several seconds.

"...all right..." Jacob slowly relented. "...I think I should go."

Then he extended his hand again. "But remember, if Arthur ever comes back to attack you again, you have a friend running right beside him."

The heroine had her doubts about that. Nevertheless, she offered her own hand in return. "I'll keep that in mind. Goodbye, Mr. Finlay."

Jacob received her hand and passed through it as he disappeared. "Goodbye..."

Kayo Yamaguchi's reporter instinct prodded her to descend on the scene. Still, she paused to think about this - approaching such a temperamental, unpredictable woman after all that had happened today. The outburst during the interview... The reports on her encounter with Wonder Woman... And especially that unbelievably vicious attack on the male Dr. Light...

But she beckoned to her cameraman. "Let's go. We can't pass up a chance like this..." here she produced a pen and notepad from her suit pocket, "...even if I have to write it all down.

"Excuse me! Dr. Light!" she called, trying hard to hide her remaining trepidation. "I want to talk to you!"

Kimiyo managed a weak smile as the two approached. "Hello, Yamaguchi-san. Actually, I'm glad you're here. I have an important message to deliver."

"But I have to know... have you really quit the Justice League? And why are you using your children to help you if it's clear that they don't have any superpowers?" the reporter asked, pointing at Imako and Yasu.

"AGAIN with the irrelevant questions..." the heroine warned, motioning the children to move away. Kimiyo did note, however, that the reporter made no mention of the ghost. Apparently, she hadn't seen him or heard Kimiyo talking to him. That made things easier.

Yamaguchi visibly flinched from the perceived threat. "...okay...never mind..." she replied weakly, waving her hands in surrender. She then held up her notepad. "But... can I get that message from you, at least?"

"No need to write it down," Kimiyo assured her. She produced a bit of energy between her thumb and forefinger, and gently flicked it into the camera and the microphone.

Kimiyo began to emit a soft, warm glow, lighting the area around them. Then she began, addressing the camera directly.

"Please pay attention, because I am only going to make this statement ONCE.

She pointed to Arthur, some distance away. "Tell my 'friend' here when he wakes up.

"Tell my so-called 'friends' in the Justice League.

"I want the WHOLE WORLD put on notice.

"I will NOT be changing my name. That would be running from this man. I will NEVER, EVER run from him. Not in battle, and not in name, either.

"Therefore, I will NOT be changing my name. He will have to change HIS.

"And if he dares to challenge me for the name again and again, I will humiliate him again and again, just like this time.

Jacob's words filled Kimiyo's mind for a split-second. She didn't agree with his murderous intentions. She didn't even know if he was who he claimed to be.

Still, his message far outshone these concerns.

"The name of Dr. Light WILL be a HERO'S legacy!"

At that, she handed over the microphone and dramatically flew away, as the camera followed her.

Yamaguchi took over. "Bold words! Rest assured that we will be watching to see if she can fulfill them. With the evil Dr. Light defeated, she appears to be well on her way."

Once Kimiyo was sure that the camera was no longer on her, she landed and began to walk towards her wayward children...

"Ummm... maybe we should make that trip to the middle of the ocean NOW..." Imako nervously offered to her brother.

"It would be safer..." agreed Yasu, taking out the teleporter.

Kimiyo swiped the device from her son's hand, and quickly pressed some keys. "Go HOME," she instructed them. "I'll deal with you later." She returned the teleporter to Yasu and stepped back.

"Ummm... we stopped you from killing that other Dr. Light, sooo... you'll go easy on us, right?" Imako asked, flashing an eager smile.

Kimiyo met that smile with a small one of her own. "I'll think about it."

As the device's energy engulfed the two children, Imako held up the victory sign and grinned triumphantly at her brother. "So you got lucky..." Yasu spat out teasingly, as they disappeared.

* * *

With Arthur dropped off at the metahuman prison in Antarctica, the Slab, Kimiyo re-entered the Tokyo city limits. She soared over to the peak of Tokyo Tower, and hovered just above its tip.

And as she looked over the city, one thought rang out in her head, as loudly and proudly as if she had shouted it:

**'My name is Kimiyo Hoshi, and _I _am Doctor Light!'**

End


	3. Issue Three

"So, what's this all about, Okamura?"

A large gathering of Yakuza filled the room. Some sat on any furniture they could; others leaned against the walls or support beams. Cigarette smoke wafted through the sea of humanity.

Takeshi Okamura adressed the entire crowd. "I picked you guys out 'cause you're young enough to listen to reason.

"This monk Oyabun we got is taking everything we know right out from under us. Our buisnesses, our money, our women! Even our HERITAGE! Our HISTORY!

"I say we take him out and run the Yakuza ourselves!"

The crowd murmured perceptibly. One of the men spoke up. "Are you nuts! This is our leader you're talkin' about!"

"See!" he interjected furiously, "See, this is what I'm talking about! He's just a monk with a sword! An old, burned-out monk with a sword! And somehow, that allowed him to just march in and take charge of everything! And we're all expected to bow to whatever whim he has! Including giving up every single thing our clans worked for for centuries!"

Here he pulled out his gun and brandished it. "Look! I've got a piece! I go up to him, I do him! Problem solved!"

Again the crowd muttered amongst themselves. Okamura had already defied the Oyabun by bringing back what their leader had ordered them to give up.

"Hold it, Okamura. He's STILL our Oyabun! We follow him, no matter who he is," one man admonished. "This is a matter of loyalty, of respect. That's part of our history too, y'know."

Another one added, "And let me guess: YOU get to be the new Oyabun, right?"

"First of all, #$ RESPECT!" Okamura howled. "How is this monk respectin' US? He's taking money outta our pockets, food outta our mouths, women outta our beds, and all of you are just gonna LET him keep doin' it!

"And as for me becoming the new Oyabun, well..." he finally smiled, "it's MY plan, ain't it?"

The first man snorted. "Well, ain't THAT convenient. Anyway, you know if you kill him, all Hell will break loose! Most of it on YOU!"

"What're they gonna do? Kill ME? Let 'em TRY. The monk took away everybody's guns! Now that we got a few in, we got the edge."

He looked over the audience. "You know what? I don't CARE what the consequences are! I'm doing this!" He shoved the weapon back into his pocket. "So, the only question is: Are you all with me, or what? Are you in or out?"

Silence.

Then one man broke in. "You crazy, Okamura."

And then he raised his hand. "But you also right. Count me in!"

Then another hand. "Yeah, why the #$ not!"

And another. "They already made sure we got nothin' better to do!"

And soon, almost every man in the room had joined them.

Takeshi Okamura surveyed the ocean of hands and smiled. Now he had his army.

"Okay, guys. Before we take out the monk, we gotta take out a few others first..."

Dr. Light  
Issue Three

"Kids Today..."  
Part One of Two  
by Lamont Mallory

Kimiyo Hoshi created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

The hospital waiting room was mostly filled. Some people coughed intermittenly. Others were clearly waiting for friends or family to re-emerge from the operating rooms. One woman in particular was on edge with worry, eying the double doors intently.

A woman clad in a green operating uniform came out of the double doors. Pulling down her surgical mask, she called, "Mori-san!"

"Dr. Hoshi!" the woman responded, leaping out of her chair. "Is he... Please tell me he's..."

Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi smiled. "The operation was successful, Mori-san. He'll need to stay here for a few weeks for observation, but he'll recover."

The woman's eyes lit up with relief and the tenseness flowed out of her body. "Thank you, Dr. Hoshi! Thank you very much!"

Then a male doctor, also in an operating outfit, emerged from the doors. "Of course it was successful! 'Lucky' was on the job!"

Deftly removing his gloves, he then took the woman's hand gallantly. "I told you... you can count on my good fortune. You can count on ME."

The woman blushed and pulled her hand away gently, but firmly. "Yes... yes, you did. Thank you." She walked away swiftly and nervously.

Dr. Hoshi's eyes narrowed further at her associate's unprofessional behavior. "Dr. Tetsuo Tanaka," she began, "might I remind you that she is MARRIED to our patient!"

"What? I was simply being polite!"

"'Polite'? Is THAT what you're calling it now?"

A nurse, wearing a pink uniform and carrying a clipboard, walked up to the two.

Dr. Tanaka continued, "But that IS how you're supposed to be polite!" He looked at the figure advancing upon them. "Iwata-kun, tell her!"

Nurse Iwata chuckled softly and waved her hand. "I'm afraid I've seen what happens when I get in the middle of one of your arguments. I think I'll pass, thank you.

"So... I take it from your pleasant mood that the operation went well?" she asked.

"Of course," Dr. Hoshi asserted proudly.

"Thanks to my luck!" Dr. Tanaka chimed in.

Dr. Hoshi chose to ignore that.

The three began walking together. The nurse kept pace a few steps behind them, her pen poised at the ready as the female doctor issued instructions.

"Iwata-kun, the outpatient in Room 122 is suffering from mild hyponatremia. Make sure he drinks that entire bottle of sports drink, then you can send him on his way."

The nurse industriously scribbled on her clipboard's notepad. "Yes, Dr. Hoshi."

"Those endurance runners," Dr. Tanaka said, shaking his head. "You can overdo water just as easily as anything else."

The trio made their way through the reception area. The receptionist and three nurses were talking privately at the desk. As the three strolled past, the four women called out, in unison and with gusto, "Good morning, 'Lucky'!"

"I do believe they're playing my siren song!" Dr. Tanaka quipped, breaking away from his companions and sidling up to the desk.

Nurse Iwata shook her head and smiled knowingly. "He's incorrigible, isn't he?"

Dr. Hoshi let out an exasperated sigh. "Dr. Tanaka, need I remind you that you don't have time to flirt!" she ordered sternly, "You have several patients to attend to. Stay focused."

"Yes, 'Mother'," the man sighed, pretending to drag himself back to her side in childlike petulance.

"And I'll continue being your 'mother' until you finally grow up," Dr. Hoshi added.

As the three continued to walk, Dr. Tanaka began to tease Dr. Hoshi. "Still won't call me 'Lucky', huh? Not even after all this time? Everyone else does!"

He nudged her playfully. "You know you want to! Don't you?"

Nurse Iwata chuckled softly again. Dr. Hoshi's demeanor remained serious. "I will call you 'Dr. Tanaka' while we are at work here, and 'Tetsuo' outside of work. But under no circumstances will I ever call you..."

...Dr. Tanaka put his hand to his ear in anticipation...

"..._that name_," she concluded hastily. "And I'll keep reminding you that I will never call you by... _that name_... for another26 years, if I have to. And here's another reminder: Just because you were born on the most fortunate day of the Buddhist calendar doesn't make you... _that word_."

Dr. Tanaka folded his arms and pretended to sulk. "Well, you're no fun at all, Ki-chan!"

Dr. Hoshi raised an eyebrow. "Finally! You noticed! And DON'T call me 'Ki-chan'! We're not children anymore!"

Dr. Tanaka threw up his hands. "Kid, adult, what's the difference? You couldn't be fun if you wanted to, then or now!"

That raised her defenses. "WHAT! That's a lie and you know it!"

The man instinctively brought up his pinky finger. It waved in anticipation. "Wanna bet? What's the stakes this time?"

Dr. Hoshi eyed the wagging digit warily. Memories of countless bets came crashing through her mind. Countless _lost _bets...

"...No, I don't 'wanna bet'! I still haven't forgiven you for the bet that made me go to that priest to experience astral projection..." here she hushed her voice to a furious whisper, "...and the other Dr. Light jumped into my body, forcing me to jump into his!"

"You're still holding a grudge about that? After all this time? Besides, the whole incident sounded kinda silly when you told me about it."

"Anything can sound silly when it's not happening to YOU! Besides, it's especially creepy now that I know he--"

Just then the emergency doors burst open, and gray-suited ambulance workers raced in, touting a loaded gurney. The trio rushed over to attend to the situation, matching the gurney's speed.

"What have we got?" Dr. Hoshi asked urgently, as the two doctors put on new gloves. She noticed, with mild alarm, the ornate dragon tattoo on the aging patient's chest, but instead focused on the emergency.

"Gunshot wounds to the area below the chest!" said one worker.

"All the other guys we picked up are D.O.A.!" added another.

Others... Dr. Hoshi made sure to shut out that bit of distraction, too.

Then the sound of the flatlining graph permeated the quickly moving scene.

Beeeeeeeeeeee...

"We're losing him!" Dr. Tanaka jumped in.

"Defibrillator!" Dr. Hoshi shouted to Nurse Iwata, who quickly obliged.

"Stop the gurney!" she ordered. As the apparatus ground to a halt, the woman charged the electric paddles against each other. Then she flung her hands to each side of the victim's chest. "CLEAR!"

The man's body involuntarily jumped, then settled down on the gurney. The graph leaped with him, then returned to neutral.

Beeeeeeeeeeee...

She immediately recharged the paddles. "COME ON! Stay with us!"

"CLEAR!"

Again, the involutary jump.

Again, back to neutral.

Beeeeeeeeeeee...

"One more time!"

"Dr. Hoshi," Dr. Tanaka began, shaking his head, "He's..."

But Dr. Hoshi was adamant. "ONE MORE TIME!" she demanded, charging up the paddles again.

"CLEAR!"

Beeeeeeeeeeee...

Definitely gone.

Everyone seemed to sigh at once. Another lost soul...

There was a moment of defeated silence, permeated by the flatline. Dr. Hoshi broke the silence first. "Time of death?"

Dr. Tanaka examined his wristwatch. "11:23 AM." Nurse Iwata began taking down the information, as the man shook his head. "Sometimes, my luck just doesn't get a chance to kick in."

Dr. Hoshi's gloved fists tightened, and she angrily expressed aloud what everyone was thinking: "The tattoo... the gunshot wounds... Typical pointless YAKUZA gang war!"

Then she added in her mind, 'They've got guns again, and they just couldn't wait to use them...'

* * *

This ambush wasn't going well at all. 

It was Ikari's job to kill former Oyabun Tsutomo Aoki from afar while his friends lured him out. He was the one with the gun. So why had they completely lost contact with him? His cell phone hadn't rung ever since they split up.

He was in Aoki's residence, which, with its neatly-tiled, polished floors and stylish furnishings, still spoke of the Yakuza clans' remaining wealth. Aoki himself was now meeting him eye-to-eye, standing only a few meters away. That would have been a good thing, if his target didn't look completely calm, almost as if the old man knew to expect an attack. What was his deal?

Never mind that. Despite everything, Ikari still had a job to do. He lifted his weapon to fire.

Then he heard a gun blast from the shadows of the room.

And he knew it wasn't his.

The sudden pain seared his hand, and he let the gun fall. A heavy hand shoved him to the wall.

And he found his own weapon pointed at his head.

"You see, I've already heard of your little generational war," Aoki informed him. "Word gets around when former Oyabuns begin to get murdered. But it also helps..."

At that point, two men stepped out of the shadows...

"...when you surround yourself with loyal men.

Both of the men were young... and one of them wielding a smoking gun. Ikari's so-called friends...

"Good work," Aoki told them, his eyes remaining firmly trained on the assailant. "Expect to be handsomely rewarded for your devotion."

"You... traitors!" hissed the helpless man.

"Sorry, pal," the one with the gun said, shrugging, "This is our clan. Some of us still believe in family and the chain of command, y'know."

"Besides," added the other, "Okamura's a nutcase."

Aoki nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Despite all the lies you've been fed, it's you, your allies, and Okamura who are the traitors here. And not very good ones at that. Did you really think some of us 'old guys' got to BE this old by not having our wits about us? Or having trusted sources of information?

"You expect to kill us and then take over as leaders of the clans without even considering that we have ways of fighting back!

He pushed the young man's head against the wall with the gun.

"So many things have changed since I was your age," he continued, "but one thing always remains the same."

He burrowed the gun into Ikari's skull.

"Rebellious children have to be punished."

BANG!

* * *

"This is NOT fair!" 

Imako Hoshi stopped sweeping the hallway floor and propped herself up against the wall, sulking. Yasu, working toward her from the other end of the hall, scowled at her.

"I'm the one who should be saying that!" her brother said ruefully, stopping his own sweeping. "I'm being punished for something you made me do!"

"But she was supposed to take it easy on us, like I asked..." the girl pouted, looking at the floor in disappointment. "Now we have to sweep the entire house!"

"So? We STILL got off easy. We disobeyed Mom, used something from her lab without asking, AND almost got ourselves killed, remember?" the boy shot back.

"Oh, come on! We stopped her from killing that other Dr. Light! That has to count for something!"

"Yeah, and she only tried to kill him because he attacked us! And he couldn't have done that if we had stayed home like we were SUPPOSED to, and not tried to fight him in the first place! And it was all YOUR idea, so it's still all YOUR fault!"

And then the boy added the words that took the last straw. "How STUPID are you!"

That made the girl jump away from the wall. "HEY! I am NOT stupid!"

Her hands balled into fists... and the fists began to glow.

Yasu's eyes went wide. "Imako! Your hands!"

But his voice was drowned out by her indignation. "I AM NOT STUPID!" she yelled. The girl lunged at him, extending her arm, and her hand released the energy.

Yasu narrowly jumped out of the way, as the mass of light blasted a large hole right through a wall.

Dust flew into the air from both sides of the hole. The surrounding plaster cracked, and pieces of the wall fell to the floor. Both children stared at the devastation, shocked. Imako tore her eyes away from the hole, and examined her hands, front and back. She shook her head in incredulity. "How... how did I..."

Yasu managed to piece together a full sentence. "We're gonna have to do a LOT more sweeping..."

The girl quickly pointed an accusing finger. "This-- This is YOUR fault! You shouldn't have been calling me names! And you shouldn't have dodged the thing!"

The boy spun to face her, his brow intensely furrowed. "WHAT! Like I'm just gonna stand there and take a shot like that! Besides, it was YOU who fired that blast in the first place!"

"Well-- how was I supposed to know I could do that, anyway!" She looked away thoughtfully. "How did I get light powers like Mom? Unless..."

The two looked at each other and spoke in unison. "That blast from yesterday!"

"But what about me?" Yasu asked, looking intensely at his own hands. "I was hit, too, but I can't..."

Then they began to glow. An involuntary "Wow..." escaped from the boy's mouth, as he marvelled at the power he held.

Then he remembered the mess his sister had already made.

"Please don't shoot! Please don't shoot!" Yasu prayed, willing the energy to go away peacefully.

And the energy obliged by dissipating. The boy heaved a sigh of relief.

Imako clapped her hands together excitedly. "This is PERFECT! We've got superpowers now, so we can be REAL superheroes this time!"

Not again! Yasu instinctively began to inch away...

...and Imako instinctively grabbed him before he could.

"Oh, no, you don't," she told him, that distinctive glimmer in her eyes and eagerness in her voice.

The boy trembled in her grasp...

* * *

Dr. Light descended on the police station, landing at the top of the steps. Rather than entering immediately, she first took up each of the sides of her cape and draped it all around her body. Lifting her head some to complete her regal bearing, she pushed the door open. 

"Hello," the female desk receptionist greeted her. "Captain Kisagi is waiting for you."

She stepped out from behind her desk and beckoned for the heroine to follow. "This way, please."

As Dr. Light strolled through the precinct, slowly and delberately, some of the officers gazed at her admiringly. Others lifted a disapproving eyebrow at the spectacle she was making of herself. The heroine held her head high and pretended not to notice, but she was clearly enjoying the attention, positive and negative.

The receptionist came to the Captain's office, and politely knocked on the closed door. "Doctor Light is here to see you, sir."

"Good," answered a male voice from inside. "Send her in."

The woman moved to turn the knob, but Dr. Light waved her away. As several members of the force looked on, the heroine stepped towards the door, converted herself to radio waves to gracefully pass through, and returned to human form inside.

He picked up a manila envelope on his desk and opened it. "As you know, all of the Tokyo Yakuza clans were united under one Oyabun 4 years ago." He took out a picture and placed it on the desk. "His name is Takano Sakai."

Dr. Light picked up the picture and examined it, as Kisagi continued: "Our intel indicates that he's a former monk, and therefore a benevolent leader. He's been working to dismantle the Yakuza's illegal infrastructure, instructing clan members to turn in guns, shutting down brothels and loan companies, and the like."

"So I've heard," Dr. Light responded. "It's been all over the TV news and the daily papers."

"It's taken Sakai most of these 4 years to get to the point where he could do this. But a month ago, we began to hear rumblings that a young member of the Okamura clan has been ordering men to start the illegal buisnesses again."

The heroine nodded in recognition. "I suspected as much. The leader of the thugs I brought to you yesterday mentioned that name."

He pulled out a series of pictures and poured them out on the desk. "This is the one: Takeshi Okamura."

Dr. Light took up those photos as well.

Captain Kisagi continued. "Okamura's making a grab for power. He intends to kill Sakai and take over. We interrogated your 'friends', and they tell us that most of the younger Yakuza members are on Okamura's side. Now, those men generally don't control the clans they're part of, but these recent killings have targeted their leaders, the former Oyabuns of their separate clans."

"And that allows the younger men to move up into the leadership positions," Dr. Light filled in the blank. "I've heard about the gunshot victims brought into the hospital today. One of them was definitely old enough to lead a Yakuza clan."

"The fact that the Yakuza's criminal ways are resurging is actually the least of our worries at this point," the Captain pointed out. "With all these families involved, this won't be a typical two-clan gang war. If we don't nip this in the bud, those Yakuza that were murdered today might be just the beginning of a massive bloodbath."

"That WON'T happen," Dr. Light concluded emphatically, slamming the pictures on the desk. "Not on MY watch!"

"Not on OUR watch," the Captain amended with a smile. "That's why I've taken pains to arrange a meeting with Sakai later tonight. Not only can we discuss a way to protect him, we can also get more information from the inside."

"Later is good," agreed the heroine. "But I intend to do something NOW." She turned to go.

The Captain stood up from his chair. "And might I ask what you intend to do?"

She turned to look back at him, her eyes glowing with her intent.

"I'm a Doctor. It's time to make a 'house call'."

* * *

The heroine landed near one of the known Yakuza-held buildings. Folding her arms and turning to bright light, she began to float right towards the front door. Her hair and cape flowed behind her in her fury. 

The guard, a burly-framed man, stood in the doorway and tried to stare down the heroine. "No way you're getting in here!" he asserted, approaching her.

He reached out to halt the glowing goddess...

... until he began to burn.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHH!" he cried as his hand and arm began to char. Involuntarily, he pushed himself out of the way.

Dr. Light did not slow down her progress one bit, but she did speak. "Free piece of advice: Stay out of my way."

She went right through the front door, burning her silhouette in it. The Yakuza inside were startled at first. Then they also set themselves in her path...

...and the closest Yakuza member started to burn.

"#$!" he howled, jumping away as his forearm turned red and black. The rest of the men wisely parted to let the shining woman through, giving her a wide berth.

"She's headed for the stairs," one of them said. "Better let Okamura know he's got trouble coming."

The man pulled out his cell phone and pushed a few buttons. He brought it up to his ear...

...and received a extremely high-pitched SSKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Blood began to spout from the canal, and he clutched at the ear in pain. His friends gasped, then looked at the apparent creator of the static.

The glowing figure had stopped, her half-turned face looking over her shoulder at them. Her eye flared menancingly. Then she moved on, towards the door to the stairs.

One of the men gathered up enough courage to speak. "I guess the boss is on his own..."

After burning through the stairwell door, Dr. Light quickly soared between the staircases. She scanned each floor with her x-ray vision as she came to it.

The top floor of the building was a single, spacious bedroom, lush carpeting covering the floor and a expensive bed far in the back. Fine paintings decorated the walls. Takeshi Okamura was relaxing in his built-in sauna, flanked by two women. And he was talking on his cell phone.

"So, Ikari and the others never made it back from Aoki's place...

"Some of the others, too, huh? Looks like they're on to us, alright. We'll have to work with what we got, and skip directly to the final phase, then.

"Bye."

He hit the disconnect button on his cell phone, and set it down behind him. He assumed a pleasant smile as he took each woman by the shoulder. "Now, ladies, where were we?"

Suddenly, the door burst open. In floated the glowing heroine. The three in the sauna gasped in surprise.

Dr. Light wasted no time taking charge. "I suggest you young ladies leave. NOW."

The women took the hint and jumped out of the sauna, grabbing their towels and clothes to cover themselves. "What would your MOTHERS think!" Dr. Light scolded as they hurried past. The two withered under her disapproving gaze.

Keeping an eye on the man in the sauna, Dr. Light watched the women exit the room. As the door closed, her eyes began to glow. The energy jumped to the top edge of the door, and began welding it to the doorway.

"Hey!" called Okamura. "What do you think you're doing!"

A wicked grin crossed the heroine's face. "You'll see..."

Quickly finishing her welding job, Dr. Light turned and floated towards the edge of the sauna. "I've heard about some recent Yakuza shootings. You wouldn't happen to know anything about them, would you?"

"Hmmm... do I? Should I?" Okamura stroked his chin and glanced off into the air as if trying to remember.

Then he looked the white-clad beauty up and down, studying her curves from his low vantage point. He licked his lips in approval. "How about this: Since you've chased off my company, why don't you shed that costume of yours and hop in? Who knows; I might start to recall something..."

No longer amused, the heroine simply raised a hand. A bolt of electricity shot out of it and into the water.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the man screamed.

"I'll pass," she answered disdainfully. "Hasn't anyone warned you not to play out of your league?"

Then Dr. Light set her sights on the sauna control panel and fired. The Yakuza jumped away from the short circuiting panel, as the bubbles and the underwater heater came to a halt.

"What the #$ IS this!" he demanded to know, moving to get out of the water.

She raised her hand again. "STAY IN. Or do you want a bigger electric shock?"

The man stopped and stared her in the eyes for a moment, looking for any hint of a bluff. He finally sunk back into the water.

Then she glided toward the wall and spread her arms wide. The entire wall began to glow... and then melt.

"What... What are you doing now!"

She continued to turn the concrete into liquid. Smoke rose from the increasing mass of goo. "I'm making my point perfectly clear to you. If ANY more people turn up shot - Yakuza or otherwise - I intend to hold you PERSONALLY responsible."

The concrete had now completely melted from end to end. The wind eagerly rushed in.

Her furious expression radically changed to a triumphant, ear-to-ear sneer. "I understand that tonight is going to be unseasonably cold. You really should have dressed more warmly. Too bad."

Then she turned into light and flew out of the completely open building side.

The nippy, fast-moving air bit greedily at Okamura's wet skin. His now-unheatable water was rapidly cooling off. He frantically reached for his cell phone and jabbed a button.

"That Dr. Light &$#sealed me in the room and melted an entire WALL!" he yelled into the device, his teeth grinding from equal parts rage and cold. "Get someone up here with a frickin' AXE or a BLOWTORCH or something before I freeze to death!"

"And call the guys in for a meeting A.S.A.P.!"

He glared at the panoramic view of the city the heroine left him.

"We got us another obstacle to get rid of..."

To Be Continued...

* * *

Author's Notes 

After seeing other writers use Author's Notes sections to address things from the reviews, I have decided to do the same. So, here goes...

Peter Gilles writes:

Brilliant start to the story! You've captured Kimiyo's character almost perfectly. I can't wait to read the next chapter.

Thanks! I'll keep working towards "absolutely perfect", though!

Icha, you already know how to reach me! ;)

Phil Urich writes:  
Very good first chapter. I'm interested in seeing how she got her powers and more about Tokyo superbeings side of business as well as her relationship with doctor light. I look forward to more

Thanks! And there will definitely be more on the other Japanese heroes, like Rising Sun and Katana! (Including a special project I hope to begin, that ties in to the current story...)

And you can bet that Arthur will be back at some point, too!

hellion writes:

Thus far, I have to say this is an interesting series about one of the lesser known characters of the DCU that certainly doesn't lack for quality. With that in mind, would you be interested in writing at a group fanfiction site? If so, drop me a line at borntoxceed at good ol' yahoo.

Thanks!

I'm certainly considering the offer, but I'm kinda swamped right now with all the stuff I have planned around here.

Faye Chua writes:

This is a wonderful story about a little-noticed character... so many times I've mentioned Dr Light and she always gets mixed up with the villain. I'm glad that you've written such a great story about her, and hope to see more in the future.

Thanks! More is on the way... like the above story, for example:)

And one of the motives behind this series is redefining Kimiyo, and showing where she, Arthur, and Jacob sit in the Dr. Light legacy.

See you next issue!

Lamont


	4. Issue Four

The intercom chimed in with the secretary's voice.  
She was uncharacteristically nervous...

"Okuda-san..."

"Yes, Kuroda-kun?"

"You... ah... have some... visitors..."

"I told you that I don't want to be disturbed for the rest of the day."

"I know, but... they seem to be... _very special _visitors..."

Then his office door unceremoniously burst open.  
In came two unsavory-looking men.  
Yakuza.

One of the men began to speak: "I take it you know who we are. After all, we helped finance your election campaign, didn't we?"

He gave a slight smile. "Well, today is your lucky day! Our new Oyabun is willing to forgive you for not providing us with our proper... preferences lately...WHEN you do us a little favor..."

"But... your Oyabun refused all the... preferences..."

"That was THEN. This is NOW."

The politician gritted his teeth.

"Oh, not to worry. It's just a... 'night on the town', shall we say.

"And you won't be the only one, Okuda-san. Trust us..."

Dr. Light  
Issue Four

"Kids Today..."  
Part Two of Two  
by Lamont Mallory

Kimiyo Hoshi created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

"Do we REALLY have to be all the way up here for this?"

Yasu and Imako, both of them in costume, stood on the roof of their home. The Sun had completely disappeared in the distance, all but the last few rays of its light peering around trees, houses, and other buildings.

Imako shook her head at her brother's question. "NOW who's being 'stupid'? How else are we going to learn to fly?"

"But... but we can do that on the ground!" he nervously protested. "And what if Mom comes back and sees us doing this! What if we fall? What if--"

"Oh, quit whining!" she demanded, nudging the boy to the edge of the roof.

"Where's your sense of adventure?"

Yasu nervously peered out to the ground far below them, obscured quite a bit by tree branches. "I think I left it down there somewhere..." Then he eyed Imako and let the last bit slip through his lips: "...along with the last bit of your _common_ sense..."

He immediately clapped his hands to his mouth. But it was too late.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Furious, the girl swiped at him.

Yasu tried to move... and slipped off the roof.  
Imako grabbed his hand... as she also sailed off the roof.

Panicking, the two tried to summon their new power to their rescue.  
They were plummeting towards the tree branches fast...  
...but the light rallied around them faster.

Imako and Yasu, the space around their bodies shimmering with energy, soared away from the trees, and back up to the roof.

As they landed, the children sent the light away. But, completely unable to remain standing from the excitement, they collapsed to a sitting position.

Both of their hearts threatened to pound right out of their chests.  
Both were shaking all over.

But only one would dare claim to be happy about the experience...

"That... that was SO COOL!" Imako squealed.

"ARE-- ARE YOU **NUTS**!" Yasu screamed at her, his voice squeaking and wavering despite himself. "THIS is the SECOND time YOU nearly got me KI--"

The girl clamped his mouth shut. "Keep it down before the whole neighborhood knows we're up here!" she hissed. "And would you stop over-reacting! I tried to catch you! And we flew, didn't we!

"Besides," she added with satisfaction, "if I hadn't tried to catch you, the branches would have broken your fall."

"And my NECK and my BODY!" Yasu huffed. "And I'm NOT 'over-reacting'!"

Now calm enough to stand again, Imako got up and grabbed her brother's hand.  
She began to float off the roof with him in tow.

"Come on," she urged excitedly, "now we've got to figure out how to turn into light like Mom does!"

Yasu whimpered.

* * *

Dr. Light immediately recognized the man from the picture, as he descended the staircase. 

Takano Sakai bore the typical shaven head of a monk. He carried a scabbard, with the hilt of a finely-made sword sheathed in it. Several old men accompanied him.

Captain Kisagi stood beside her with five of his men. Everyone bowed politely in greeting.

"It is a pleasure to meet with you, Captain, Dr. Light, officers," Sakai began. He gestured to his men. "These are my Kobuns, originally the Oyabuns of each of the clans. I believe you know them, Captain."

'All too well...' the officer thought to himself ruefully. But he nodded in acknowledgement.

Then he addressed the entire group. "As agreed, we will escort you to a neutral location, the Grand Hotel, to discuss our mutual problem."

The group fell into an informal procession. The Captain and two of his officers walked in front, followed by Dr. Light and Sakai, then his men, then the remaining three officers in the rear.

Aoki smiled at the thought of the gun he now possessed and concealed beneath his pant leg. No one, not even the so-called heroine, suspected that he had it.

Thanks to his men's loyalty, he now had leverage over the other Kobuns and even Sakai himself... but only as long as the bullets lasted. He would have to use the weapon carefully.

As the group walked, Dr. Light surreptitiously glanced at the monk out of the corner of her eye a few times. But her scientist's curiousity soon got the better of her, and she spoke to him:

"Sakai-san, if I may ask... Just how did a monk like you come to lead the Yakuza, anyway?"

Sakai unsheathed the sword. "It's all due to this sword, 'Slays the Dragon'. It allows the bearer to kill any Oyabun without repercussion. My father once owned it, while serving as the bodyguard of the famed Oyabun, Mitsuru Toyama.But he lost it in the Second World War.

"An American, along with a female archer, returned it to me at the monastery in which I served. But my brother Takizo, the Oyabun of the Black Dragon syndicate, sought it in a bid to bring together and control all the Yakuza families.

"All of the other monks in our monastery were murdered when he sent his men to retrieve this sword.

"After that, I had no choice but to bring the battle to Takizo.  
We fought.  
I killed him."

The procession reached the door to the building and began to file out into the night.

Sakai continued, "And now, to keep the Yakuza clans from degenerating into a civil war, I must lead the Yakuza... and live out my brother's mad dream.

"Still, I like to think I've turned this organization--"

Just then, the three caught sight of a few figures a few meters away.  
Okamura.  
And a large posse of men.

Dr. Light glowed bright and hot, her hair and cape flowing wildly in her anger.  
Captain Kisagi and his men got ready to draw their guns. Sakai went into an attacking stance with his sword. The Kobuns flocked around their leader.

And Aoki almost went for the concealed weapon out of sheer instinct.  
Almost...

"Hands up! Stay right where you are!" the Captain demanded.

The group raised their hands. But Okamura was smiling broadly. "Hey, I just came to talk!"

Dr. Light snorted emphatically. "You must be high on your own drugs if you think we'll believe that!"

"Go ahead and scan us with your powers, then. We're not packing."

Dr. Light's eyes made a full-spectrum scan of their entire bodies, including a magnified examination of the cell phones in their pockets.

"Doctor?" the Captain prompted.

Her brow furrowed deeper. "They're clean. That doesn't mean I trust this snake in the least."

"Agreed. We'll have to keep an eye out for tricks."

The group put their hands down. Okamura sneered. "Satisfied? I already told you that I just came to talk.

"For example, my dear Doctor, let's see if you're more than a nice pair of legs..."  
The heroine scowled, as he continued: "Are you familiar with Kenichiro Okuda, Miko Kuragawa, and Toru Sawaguchi?"

A politician, an actress, and a popular singer.  
"What of them?" she growled.

"Well, they were accompanying Yakuza members to... certain events tonight in different parts of the city. But I've just received word from some of my informants that these people have found themselves the targets of..." here he shrugged, "...let's call them 'terrorists'.

"They've arranged a coordinated attack on all three people that will occur in..." he checked his watch, "less than 10 minutes.

"You know, I'm not sure even my men can protect them from that kind of people, unarmed as they are. They might well be killed!"

All the policemen grimaced slightly.

Sakai protested, "But... the Yakuza have NEVER taken innocent people hostage before!"

"Who said anything about hostages? These important people gladly volunteered to accompany Yakuza members to these events. And even if they were hostages, I'd mark that down to desperate times, 'Oyabun'. We're in a battle for our livelihood here. And I've already broken one rule by defying you. What would one more do?

"That is, IF those people were hostages, which, of course," his grin widened, "they're NOT."

The monk immediately turned to the glowing heroine. "You have to go and save them."

But Dr. Light stood firm, not taking her flaring eyes off Okamura. "He's LYING! I'm NOT leaving!"

"'Lying', huh? If you say so. But then, can you risk it?" Okamura jumped in, smiling, "Would you like to be responsible for what happens to those people?

"Again, I certainly can't guarantee their safety..."

The monk spoke to the bright figure gently but insistently. "I am but one person. There are three of them. Not only am I armed with my sword, I trust the police and my men here to protect me. Please, go and help those people."

Captain Kisagi nodded in agreement. "Go ahead, Doctor. They're unarmed. We can handle things here."

Dr. Light still kept her stare trained on Okamura.

But she replied with one word...  
"FINE."

She immediately flew off into the night, joining the stars in the sky.

"Good-bye, Doctor! Good-bye!" Okamura called with mock sweetness and a wave.

Then he turned back to the monk. "Now then, about OUR talk..."

* * *

"See? That was easy, wasn't it?" 

Imako and Yasu were soaring above the Shinjuku section of Tokyo, in brightly-shimmering light form.

"Oh, sure, 'easy'," Yasu responded sarcastically. "Except for the tree you burned up, the street light I melted...

"Yeah, yeah, so we had a few bumps along the way..."

Yasu began counting on the fingers of his right hand. "...that telephone pole you torched, that building I singed..."

Imako snatched up that hand. "ENOUGH ALREADY! At least we got the hang of turning into light..." She squeezed the fingers angrily. "RIGHT?"

Yasu was still surprised that she could even grab him in light form. "AHHHH! Right! Right!"

"GOOD," she approved, relinquishing his hand. "Now, all we have to do is find some bad guy to stop!"

Yasu cradled his fingers and glared at his sister.

Meanwhile, Dr. Light scoured the city invisibly, for any clue as to her quarries' whereabouts.

'Three separate attacks...' she thought,'and I need to stop them all in less than 10 minutes! But I have to FIND them first!'

Then her mind sensed another pressing problem.

'Wait a minute...'

Her eyes immediately jumped to a pair of lights floating around several kilometers to her right.

'Just as I thought... two strangely moving lights! And they're too close to each other to be a plane or a helicopter! It couldn't be the other Dr. Light again... could it?

Her brown furrowed.

'I hate to leave those poor people in the lurch... but I have to make sure the city doesn't have a BIGGER problem on our hands!'

She immediately sailed towards the unknown lights.

Then a strange impulse struck Yasu's mind. "Hey... do you feel that?"

"What is it NOW!" growled Imako.

"It feels like... like a bunch of energy coming toward us!"

The girl scoffed. "Don't be ridic--"  
Then the impulse hit her. "--OH! I feel it, too! Coming from behind us!"

Both children stopped to look.

Yasu frowned. "Whatever it is, it's invisible..."

Imako amassed energy in her hand. "Well, whatever it is, I'll just--"  
Then that energy was immediately drained from her. "--HEY!"

Dr. Light took the energy as her own, then recognized the shimmering forms of her children.

"IMAKO! YASU!" she exclaimed, changing to her visible, glowing form to match them.

Caught in the act! Both children jumped a bit.  
Imako managed a weak "Uh... hi, Mom..."

Their mother was momentarily stunned. "How... how did you--"  
...but then her mind jump-started. "Of course! When the other Dr. Light hit the two of you with my blast!"

Imako decided to test the waters: "So... ummm... now that we have powers, we can help you, right? Right?"

Dr. Light quickly debated the matter with herself:

'I should just send them home.  
'They're untrained! Any number of things could go wrong!  
'Still... they could be useful.  
'And they're certainly willing.  
'They could make the job of rescuing those people much easier.

'And... well...'

She looked into each of her children's eager eyes, and smiled gently.

'...I love them!  
'I want to trust them...'

Her decision was clear.

"Both of you, listen carefully..."

* * *

"...Remember: We now have less than 5 minutes! Lives are at stake, so stay on task! And if you get into trouble - ANY kind of trouble - send up a signal flare," Dr. Light instructed. 

"Right!" the two children agreed, becoming invisible as they sped off.

Each of them spread out and searched a different area of Tokyo.

Imako soared around Shinjuku skyscrapers at light speed, lightly scanning people for gun metal with x-ray vision.

'Money... keys... cell phones... so where's the bad guys with the guns, already?' she thought to herself in increasing frustration.  
'C'mon... c'mon... Where are you?'

Then she picked up what she was looking for.  
'Found 'em! FINALLY! And--' she frowned a bit, '--they've got "Miko-chan" with them!'

A few hundred meters away, two Yakuza surrounded the actress Miko Kuragawa. The woman nervously struggled with her captors as they led her into an alley.

"Please... just... let me go!" she pleaded. "I'll pay DOUBLE what I owe! Just... please..."

"HEY!" the young heroine called, immediately swooping in front of them. "You're not going anywhere with her!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Imako made the first attack that came to mind: two big bursts of energy.

The Yakuza went for their weapons...  
...but the power engulfed them before they could reach their pockets.  
They barely evenhad time to scream.

The men were badly burned and unconscious.  
The ground around them was blackened.  
The guns were rapidly melting.

Miko-chan was sprawled on the ground, just out of the way, narrowly missing the fate of her tormentors.  
Her eyes were wide with shock and fear.

Imako managed a sheepish grin and stroked her glowing hair. "Well... whatever works, right?"

* * *

Yasu took the Shibuya shopping district. But he was somewhat distracted as he scanned the crowds. 

'Why does my power work differently from Imako's?' he mused, frowning. 'She could use x-rays, but I couldn't... And I have to use a magnetic scan instead... Weird...'

But then he detected what he was searching for: weapons on two men as they accompanied a third.

'All right! But... how am I going to do this?'

He hovered overhead to think, as the trio walked deep into the alley.

"Look, I'm telling you, I can get you the money I owe!" singer Toru Sawaguchi argued. "ALL of it! Just give me a little time, and--"

"SHUT UP!" one of the men interrupted. "Money ain't the issue now!"  
Then he looked over at his friend. "Hey-- are we gonna do this guy, or what?"

The other man looked at his watch. "Okamura said to give him 10 minutes."

He grinned as he and his friend pulled their guns out of their pocket. "Your 'little time' is up!"

'UH-OH!' Yasu thought, his mind racing.  
Then he settled on an idea.

The guns blasted, and the bullets soared towards their target... only to be stopped mere millimeters away by a pair of thin hard-light walls.

Then the white walls squashed the Yakuza against the brick walls of the surrounding buildings, knocking them out cold.

Their victim stood as still as a statue. His breath was shallow and ragged, as his life continued to flash before his eyes.

Yasu put his hand to his temple and heaved a sigh of relief. "Man... That was cutting it close..."

* * *

Dr. Light herself handled the Akasaka buisness district. 

'Imako and Yasu haven't signalled for help yet...' she thought nervously, alternating every few seconds between checking the sky and scanning for guns.

'Is that a GOOD thing or a BAD thing?'

Then she strenghtened her resolve: 'STOP WORRYING. I made a choice to involve them, so I can't think like that NOW. I have to stay focused.

'They'll be alright. They HAVE to be.'

Then she discovered weapons on a pair of men below, with a third between them.  
'And there's the Yakuza now!'

The two Yakuza were hustling politician Kenichiro Okuda into an alley.

"You can't do this!" Okuda insisted. "I'm an important man! You really don't think they'll miss a member of the DIET!"

One of the Yakuza raised a fist. "Hey, I don't CARE who the #$& you are, so if you don't shut--"

A cushion of hard-light interrupted their discussion, firmly carrying the victim out of the way and startling his tormentors.

"Surprised?" a female voice called from behind. "You shouldn't be!"

The Yakuza turned to see the shining Dr. Light, arms folded, looking down her nose at them. They drew their guns and aimed... but found the weapons melting in their grip.

The heroine smirked, her glowing eyes focused on heating the metal. "Drop the guns... or you'll wear them PERMANENTLY!"

They let loose the liquefying weapons as suggested.

"Good boys," she told them, nodding.

Then she zipped down and tapped them both on the head.  
"Now... play dead!"

The men faded into unconsciousness and collapsed on the pavement.

The politician gathered his composure, then gratefully bowed his head. "Thank you so much for your help! There's no telling what would have happened if you weren't here!"

Dr. Light beamed with pride, and matched his bow. "I'm always happy to be of service."

* * *

Okamura pointed an accusing finger at the monk. 

"Don't you get it? You're ignoring the Yakuza's past. Our history.

"We're NOT 'straight and narrow' types! We're NOT 'good guys'!

"We're going back to the way we were... the way we're SUPPOSED to be... TODAY."

The monk responded, "So, you're doing this just to preserve your heritage? And this isn't just a flimsy excuse to indulge in illegal and immoral activities for monetary and sexual gain? Or for power?"

Okamura grinned knowingly. "I like to call those 'fringe benefits'."

The monk thought for a moment. "And if I set you free, you'll stop all this?

The murders, the threatening of innocents?"

Okamura hadn't considered that as an option. "Hmmm..."

"Then GO," commanded the monk. "Do whatever you wish... on the grounds that you never, ever threaten innocent people again."

Sakai mused aloud: "A division between the Yakuza, like the way it was divided long ago, into tekiza and baguto, gamblers and peddlers.  
"Acknowledgement of Yakuza history... Isn't that what you _supposedly_ wanted?"

The young man shook his head. "I've thought about your offer. NO DEAL."

Then he smirked. "Obviously, you don't understand, old man. Having SOME of the Yakuza to control would be good...  
"...but why settle for 'some' when I can have it ALL?"

Sakai eyed his adversary for a long moment.

"You have the same over-reaching audacity as my brother Takizo did," he concluded, advancing past his men and the police with sword poised. "And I believe you know what happened to him..."

"Yeah, old man, I took good notes," Okamura replied with a smile, not even flinching at the threat. "And you know what I figured out? Bring a GUN to a sword fight.

"But, if you can't bring a gun..." He looked across the street and whistled...

Suddenly, several windows in the buildings began to open, and armed men leaned out of them to take aim...

He turned back to the monk. "...bring FRIENDS with guns!"

* * *

Dr. Light rejoined her two children where they had first met,high above thestreets, each toting their captives. 

"So, everything went well?" she asked.

Yasu nodded. "Uh-huh... more or less..."

"Ummm... mine got a little... uh... EXTRA crispy..." Imako began nervously...  
... then she went for an upbeat note: "...but that's okay, right?"

Dr. Light hovered over to her daughter's captives and quickly checked their pulses. Imako watched from behind. "They're fine. They'll just be in the hospital for quite a while." Then she turned to her daughter with a reassuring smile. "And, to be honest, they deserve to suffer a bit for what they've been doing, anyway."

Imako grinned in relief. "Good."

"But I did BETTER," Yasu asserted with a smirk as he floated beside his sister.  
"YOU probably came close to torching the person you were supposed to save!"

If Imako hadn't been in light form, her face would have turned beet-red with embarrassment. "SHUT UP, you little BRAT..." she warned, balling up her fists.

"I guessed right, didn't I?" the boy said, laughing and pointing triumphantly. "Some heroine YOU are!"

"Oh, THAT is IT!" the girl screamed.

Imako lunged at Yasu...  
...and their mother immediately pulled their glowing bodies apart.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

She glared at her son. "You're BOTH new at this! And I'm sure you had at least SOME difficulty yourself, didn't you?"

The boy looked away in shame. "...yes..."

Imako snickered...  
...until Dr. Light turned to her.

"DON'T laugh! YOU need to be more careful with your powers, especially when innocent people are concerned!"

The girl's eyes lowered. "...okay..."

Yasu changed the subject. "So... what was this all about, anyway?"

"The Yakuza," responded Dr. Light, looking off into the distance. "All this threatening of innocents to distract me, all the murders, all for an obsessive grab at power..."

She began to fly off with her captives. "Come on! It's time to END this!"

* * *

The police took aim at their new enemies. 

Sakai's Kobuns surrounded him to lay down their lives.

The renegade Yakuza and the police fired.

The bullets all began to fly toward their targets...  
...and then stopped in mid-air!

A familiar female voice rang through the area. "I told you that I wasn't going to leave!"

As everyone watched in surprise, the bullets collapsed to the ground... and the shining form of Dr. Light reappeared where she originally stood!

She flashed a proud smile. "Allow me, gentlemen!"

At the speed of light, she immediately flew into the sky, sending a bolt of lightning into each of the men in the buildings, knocking them unconscious.

"Dr. Light!" the Captain called. "But you were supposed to go save those people!"

The heroine floated down to him. "Actually, I did! And I even got some help!"

Just then, a trio of stars twinkled in the sky, and shot onto the scene, toting their captives. Three bright forms were visible: a teenage girl, a young boy...  
...and Dr. Light!

"Am I late?" she joked knowingly.

Everyone was understandably surprised.

"WHOA!" Imako gasped, looking back and forth at the two versions of her mother.

Yasu nervously looked up at the Dr. Light next to him. "There are TWO of you!"

"Yes..." she replied, floating towards her twin.  
"...and no," added the other one, matching that approach with her own.

The two Drs. Light immediately merged into one. "Advanced physics," she explained. "Photons of light can be in two places at once.

"It's very useful to know, when someone is trying to draw you away from where you need to be..." She smirked at Okamura. "...AND when you want to out-surprise someone."

The man gritted his teeth.

Imako's mind raced excitedly at the prospect of learning how to do that.  
Yasu gazed admiringly at his mother. "Cool..."

Sakai addressed Okamura. "This changes nothing. I said you were free, and I still mean it. Take your remaining men and GO."

Okamura glared at him, then at the three glowing figures. "FINE."

Then he stepped up to the hovering Dr. Light, his eyes steely and his arms folded.

"You KNOW that this is only the beginning.  
"We have money.  
"We have connections.  
"We have resources.  
"We have manpower.  
"We have HISTORY.  
"You, you're just a temporary flicker in time. We were here before you were, and we'll be here LONG after you're gone.

"You don't DARE haul me off to jail.  
"You WON'T kill me.  
"You CAN'T stop us.

"And, best of all," he concluded, his Cheshire Cat grin returning, "you KNOW it's all true!"

The two stared each other down for a moment.

Then Dr. Light spoke:  
"Now that you're done..."

Her eyes flashed for a brief instant.

"And what was THAT supposed to do?" Okamura asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," she answered smugly.

A plume of smoke rose from his face...  
...as it began to crackle...  
...and sizzle...  
...and burn...

"AH! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, fighting the urge to cradle his head as the pain overwhelmed him.

In horror, he turned to his men. Some of them audibly gasped at what they saw.

The woman had branded him, from hairline to both ears to chin, with a dark version of the star symbol she wore on her costume.

"Now..." Dr. Light began, raising his body off the ground with her power, "would you like to know what **_I _**have?

"I have power.  
"I have science.  
"I have knowledge.  
"I have JUSTICE.  
"And," she briefly glanced at each of her children, "I have allies as well."

Then she scowled at the man.

"And I most certainly WILL stop you.  
"I have NO problem inflicting PAIN.  
"Physical AND psychological.  
"Chronic AND life-long.

"Step out of line again, and you'll have FAR more to regret than your new tattoo!"

Then she turned her attention to Okamura's allies a short distance away, and raised her voice for them to hear. "Does anyone ELSE have anything to say!"

She surveyed the audience. "SPEAK UP!"

The men were silent.  
Furious, seething... but silent.

"GOOD. Then take your TRASH..." she hurled Okamura into them, knocking them all down... "...and GO HOME!"

Imako chuckled, as the men jumped to their feet, stumbling over each other.  
Yasu stuck out his tongue at the retreating figures. "YEAH, LOSERS! GO HOME!" he called.

Dr. Light smirked in approval of her children's enjoyment, then stifled it so as not to encourage them _too _much.

"Come along, you two," she beckoned, beginning to float in the sky. Then she exchanged nods with the Captain. "I'll let you take it from here."

"You heard the lady," Captain Kisagi addressed his men. "Call for backup. Let Okamura and his pals go, but I want everyone who had a weapon taken into custody..."

Sakai and his Kobuns watched as Okamura and his allies disappeared into the city.  
Aoki in particular stroked his chin in thought.  
Okamura and his young splinter group's newfound freedom... There had to be a way to exploit it...

* * *

As the three began to fly home, Imako turned to Kimiyo.

"That part you said about having allies..." she prodded, her eyes eagerly searching her mom's. Yasu also observed intently. "Does that mean we can--"

"Need I remind you," Kimiyo interjected, "that this is the SECOND time you've tried to be heroes when I told you NOT TO? And I'm SURE you couldn't have swept the entire house so quickly."

The eagerness in Imako's eyes quickly waned...  
Yasu averted his gaze sadly...

"I expect both of you to finish that job AND the additional punishment you're going to get as soon as possible..." she ordered...  
...then her expression and voice softened, as she continued:  
"if you want me to teach you how to use your powers properly, so you can assist me better!"

The children's faces lit up! They all but tackled her in their embrace!

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" her daughter cried out, overjoyed.  
"Yeah, thanks, Mom!" added Yasu.

"Well, it IS the second time you were a great help, too!" Kimiyo told them, beaming proudly. "I'm confident that the two of you will make great heroes."

"But... there's something I don't understand," Yasu asked. "Why did we just let that Yakuza guy go? Shouldn't the police have arrested him?"

"Well," his mother began, frowning a bit, "as much as I hate to admit it, one thing he said to me was actually right:

"He's untouchable right now.

"If the monk had killed him, or if the police arrested him, the position of Oyabun would be up for grabs, and the bloodbath we were trying to prevent in the first place would begin. Allowing him to remain Oyabun stops the killing, which is good for us as well as the Yakuza. We also don't have to worry about an evenmore brutal or unreasonable man becoming Oyabun in his place.

"Our main enemy is... well... quite literally _marked_." She chuckled a bit. "It's a satisfactory compromise."

Imako put on a nervous grin. "Ummm... About satisfactory compromises..."

Her mother lifted a questioning eyebrow. "What did you do, Imako?"

"Well... I kinda... discovered my powers by blasting a hole in a wall back home..."

Yasu piped in. "...and there were... ummm... a few other things we kinda... broke..."

Kimiyo sighed in amusement.

"I see I'm going to have to train you two FAST, before there's nothing left to protect!"

The End

Next issue:  
A stand-alone story about the beginning of Imako and Yasu's training... and an unexpected adversary!

* * *

Author's Notes

hellion writes:

"For some reason, I've always enjoyed reading about the more intelligent and harsher heroines and Dr. Light certainly fits that bill."

It's one of the main reasons why I like her:D

"The arc is off to a cool start, and it's nice to see her kids haven't been forgotten."

Well, they are important supporting cast. :)

And besides, I'm starting to love them as much as their mother does!

"Children these days, what are ya gonna do? Anyways, good story."

Thanks!

"The offer to join our growing fanfiction group is always open, btw. It's a good way to interact with other writers and is awesome for feedback. In addition, you'll have your fanfiction series posted at two well traveled sites. borntoxceed at yahoo is me email, so feel free to drop me a line ;)"

Okay!

* * *

The Uncanny R-Man writes:

"Bum-bum-bum! Dr Light Vs Dr Light! 'Nuff said!"

:D

"Man, Mimiyo is a badass. She even had time for a science lesson while she wa sbeating up the ba dguys. How cool is that?"

One of the main goals of this series is to return her in readers' minds to the strong stature she had during "Crisis on Infinite Earths", while keeping in mind that she's not _quite _as cruel as she was then.

"Can't wait and see what the Hoshi kids are up to as well."

There's plenty more of them where this came from! (grins evilly)

"Oh yeah! Kimiyo kicked Arthur's butt! Good job too. He really made a fatal mistake hwen he threatened her kids. I'm glad to see that somebody had the guts to do it."

One of the recurring themes of this series will be how protective Kimiyo is of her children. As seen at the end of this story, she is preparing them to be put in harm's way, but should harm actually come to them... well...

"Can't wait to see what happens now that Kimiyo has all but resigned from the League."

I should be picking up on that plot thread in the next few issues.

Mind you, I said "should"... :)

"Yet another wodnerful chapter. The Yakuza are up to something. They don't stand a chance. Heh."

But they're like Lex Luthor: Hard to get rid of, even if you're a SuperWOman!

"Now the Hoshi kids have powers, huh? I wonder how Kimiyo will react to that..."

See this issue! Is that service, or what:)

"Also, I'd like to thank you for reading 'Uncanny Superbuddies' which I co-write with L1701E. You will also be pleased to hear that Kimiyo will be making an appearance too."

Great! I really have to catch up with my reading, then!

* * *

Icha writes:

"This is cool! Glad to see Kimiyo returned. It's so fun to 'play' with Japanese stories these days, now that we have internet! And it's such a coincidence that we both use monks within Yakuza stories (well, mine in the Black Snow is a former-Yakuza monk, and yours is a former-monk Yakuza - LOL!)."

Check out the addendum below about where I got my monk!

"I emailed you about Katana/Tatsu Yamashiro. Did you get my message? Thanks!"

Received and answered. I'm always happy to help!

* * *

Addendum:

Some of what I've written is based on continuity from various DC books. So, in the interest of letting you know what elements of this series come from where:

The first meeting of Arthur and Kimiyo was in Suicide Squad # 52. The issue is recommended (but certainly not required) reading, as this series will take quite a few cues from that issue regarding the Dr. Light legacy. All 3 Drs. Light appear in it, including Jacob!

Kimiyo's childhood friend Tetsuo also comes from a throwaway line in Suicide Squad # 52. As mentioned last issue, it was a lost bet with Tetsuo that indirectly engineered Kimiyo's run-in with Arthur. ("I must remember never to make a bet with Tetsuo again." Words to live by!)

This issue's story of Takano Sakai, the monk who would be Oyabun, comes straight from the Shado miniseries. As for Shado (the "female archer" mentioned by Sakai in this story) herself... well, that would be telling! I have plans, so stay tuned... ;)

Oh, and for the record:  
Dr. Light and all related characters (the ones not created by me, anyway) are owned by DC Comics, a division of Warner Bros., an AOL-Time Warner Entertainment Co. I make no claim to owning them.

**Keep watching the Stars!**


End file.
